Warnings
by Glazier Blue
Summary: Sometimes when life changing things are about to happen, the universe will open up and reveal its plans to you. Will the brothers choose to stay when they know Hell is coming?
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Notes.**

 **Ok so it is no secret that I HATED the last TMNT 2012 episode, 'Apocalypse.' That is not the ending I wanted for any of them. This short story takes place before the events in that episode took place, and is helping me come to terms with the show's ending. It's also linked to my only other story on here, 'What Happened After.'**

 **I just felt the episode had something missing... LIKE THE PLOT THAT GOT US THERE! :-(**

 **Now for those older readers with the same taste as me, yes there are** ** _some_** **scenes aspired by 'Buffy the vampire slayer.' My only other favorite TV show. But it's adapted so well, and the last tmnt episode was a rip off of that god-awful Mad Max movie, so I have no guilt. It's not like I own either of these fab shows... If I did tmnt would have ended very differently. Please just try to enjoy it.**

 **I would like to give a big thank you to my beta's XxTurtletracerxX and TheMaskedTimelord for their help and input.**

 **By coincidence my fav writer CjtheStoryteller also wrote an Apocalypse story to try and accept the show's ending. Although hers is set after the event of the episode. So I thought they might link up good. Thanks Cj. Hope you like.**

 **Enjoy and like me, cry everyone!**

…...

Warnings

Chapter 1

"Ok how does this look?" The oldest brother Leo said placing the final set of candles under the large Japanese Shrine the four brothers had just finished creating in memory of their late father and Master, Homato Yoshi. But to them he would always be _Splinter_ , the mutated rat who rescued them from the Kraang , and raised them here in the sewers.

"I think it looks pretty darn good," Mikey said smiling happily as he finished frantically polishing the picture frame that held the human image of his father with his wife and baby daughter that they had all come to think of as a sister.

Leo snorted in veiled amusement at Mikey's response. Leo had rearranged these candles four times now, and had gotten the same answer out of his youngest brother every single time. At this point his opinion didn't hold much merit.

Donnie glanced away from the stream of ribbons he had been cutting and eyed the display critically. "I like it too Leo, and you were right, the candles do look better under the painting than to the sides. It helps light up the frame." Leo smiled gratefully at Donnie, happy for an opinion from the one person who probably actually gave a green turtle scale about the arrangement of his candles. Donnie nodded in acknowledgment and went back to his red ribbons, cutting the things into equal strands with a ruler and a knife. The ribbon was meant to wrap around the wooden Japanese gate that all four of the brothers had carved themselves in Donatello's lab only days before.

"And the final touch," Said the second eldest Raphael as he placed a drawing Splinter had done for him when he was five on the shelf beside the main picture. Each of the brothers had placed an item of sentiment of their father on the shrine in dedication of their life with him.

"Yep I think Master Splinter would be very proud of this," The third youngest, Donnie, said now standing back admiring their handy work. When his three brothers joined him, they all took a moment to look at the beautiful display before bowing in unison.

The four of them had started this project some time ago, but had not had the time to do anything until now. But now for the first time this year the ninja turtles had a little space to breathe. No need to go into crisis-evaluation mode towards threats to the human race. No apocalyptic disaster throwing itself at their feet, demanding attention. Simply reveling in the moment of stillness was a new feeling for the boys, and they knew of only one way to take advantage of it, by being in meditative peace.

…Mikey ruined the moment.

Raph wasn't surprised.

"Hey, you still don't think that maaayybe Splinter would have liked a picture of him as a rat and us in the middle instead of his old human fam-"

"Mikey don't be selfish," Leo sighed rubbing the bridge were a nose would be if he were human. "Splinter worshipped this picture. This is how he truly saw himself. He would want it this way."

"Yeah don't be dramatic Mikey, it was his favorite picture that's all. Besides all the pictures we have of him are crap. I mean Casey took half of them!" Raph chuckled at the memory of Casey fumbling his way through a proper picture using something other than his phone.

Mikey smiled a small smile, but it wasn't fake. "I guess you're right," The teen whispered. Donnie stopped cutting, and lowered his head.

Leo, with his infinite wealth of bro know and basic common sense, noted that the bittersweet mood had just taken a dip into a place still to raw for comfort. Time to split! With a flick of his wrist and the chemistry of matches Leo lit his newly placed candles and turned to his brothers, "That's enough for today guys. We'll finish the shrine tomorrow. It's starting to feel cramped in here."

It was a mutual feeling. Displaying different levels of agreement all three brothers followed their leader to their feet. Before any of them left the dojo each turtle clapped their hands together and bowed at the waist to a painting of a once man, once father, once human.

The four straightened and stared at their work so far. It was really starting to come together, the carvings, the added memorabilia. Someday it truly would rival the best of Japanese shrines. Feeling accomplished the four allowed themselves a moment of quiet, each lost in their own happy memories of their mutant dad rat, until finally the brothers slowly made their way out of the Dojo and towards the TV room. The shrine wasn't perfect yet, but for something like this, for someone like Splinter, it would've meant the world no matter how it turned out.

"So what now?" Raph asked, wasting no time looking for another project. It had become a common question for Raphael as of late. He was one of the few not enjoying the recent quiet as much as they were.

Leo stayed by the dojo doors, allowing the others to retreat calmly to the couch. Mikey flipped himself over and about the couch landing flat on his shell onto the plush cushions. By contrast Donnie walked pointedly around the couch before sitting himself down. With a completely manly chuckle at Donnie's _'mature'_ show of self-control Mikey snuggled himself comfortably into the material, contemplating just how blissfully everything had become the last few weeks. "Now we chill!" The youngest added.

"Oh come on there has to be something else we could be doing," The red clad turtle moaned looking longingly at his sai's.

"Nope. I don't think so. We beat everyone. There's no one left to fight." The younger, orange brother declared, proudly puffing out his chest. "The Shredder and the Foot clan? Dead! Purple dragons? Jail... mostly! Gangsters? Also jail. The Kraang? Secret alien jail. Robots? Gone **.** Dracula and the Mummy monsters? Dead! Oh, and the Time Master? Don't know _when_ he is. And Drako? Who the shell knows." Mikey went through as though he was going off a check list. "It's not our fault we are so awesome at what we do. Oh, oh and remember the evil pizza that-"

"Yeah, Mikey, we get the point. Thank you." The red clad brother cut his hyper brother off, a familiar eye twitch twisted his face at the mention of _evil pizza_. There's no way that was ever a thing.

"You're not actually complaining, are you?" Donatello asked bemused. Leo turned to face them with an unreadable look on his face. Yes Raph was complaining, but personally he hoped it was true, that there really are no more villains this side of the US to catch. After all the fighting, the painful injuries, the close calls, and the pain of losing Master Splinter, they still made it. They had beaten everyone who had opposed them and saved the world, they were still together. That deserved enough peace to last a lifetime.

Even if it got boring.

Frowning slightly in his confusing mixture of worry and relief Leo caught Donnie glancing his way. The slight smile on Don's face was a direct reflection to his own frown, a difference face for a similar emotion.

Copying his brother's healthier expression Leo turned his frown around. Things were quiet now and moving at a slower pace, it was a strange way of living, but not such a bad price to pay.

Donnie in particular felt grateful. If only his brothers _knew_ what he had given up to remain here with them after he had been atomized by a possessed April. But he had refused to say anything more on that subject, not since he had confessed to Casey on the roof, but seeing Heaven, being so close and then being….. So far. He would _never_ forget. Thankfully Casey had kept his word and hadn't said anything to his family or friends about what had being bothering him. That was over 6 months ago. Enough time for him to comfortably put all those thoughts in a neat little box in his head marked _Don't Open._

Apart from losing their father, this was what Donnie had always hoped for. Boring meant safe. So many times they could have lost one another. So many times they actually had, even if it was ever only for a short time. But by some mystery of fate, (or just pure dumb luck,) they were always brought back together.

But not everyone could feel so lucky.

"I'm _not_ complaining, but don't you just feel a bit... well, redundant?" Raph sneered, not hiding his frustration.

"Whoa Raph, that's a big word for you," Mikey chuckled, looking up from his comic book. Normally that remark would have earned Mikey a back head slap courtesy of Raphael, but his red clad brother either couldn't be bothered, or his normal hot headed temper he was known for really has been deflating lately. Specifically since Sensei had been taken from them, that wedge he had always liked to push between himself and his siblings just didn't seem as appealing any more.

"Well redundant doesn't really work in this situation anyways Mikey." Donnie said with seeming indifference, "Redundance would imply a lack of meaning or purpose to what we are _doing_ , and since Raph's point is based on the fact that we are essentially _doing_ _nothing_ , than we aren't _doing_ anything to feel redundant about."

"Oooooooh!" Mikey awed in open mouthed wonder.

Raph examined his splayed palm calmly, at peace with making an exception to his new gentler ways, just for Donnie. Only for his smart beaked brother to be saved by an even more appealing idea "Hey I got it... Leo let's go on patrol. Our luck might be in and we can catch a mugger or something. Crime fighting the old fashioned way." Raph smiled all hopeful.

"Oh! A good old fashioned mugging! How sweet...maybe we will see some bank robbers too!" Mikey said without tearing his gaze away from his comic. Despite all his groaning, whining, moaning, and loud declarations of conspiracies on the matter, Mikey actually liked patrols.

Leo sighed. "Alright, but in a bit. It's still early. I want to get some meditation time in first." He smiled, getting up and making his way back towards the dojo.

"If you don't want to go just say so." The hot head snapped on reflex.

"No, we will. We could use the practice... just in case." Leo nodded. "Promise we'll go out tonight. After all I'm simply ecstatic to find out what fresh hell could be laying in waiting for us."

"Well, when you put it like that, what are we waiting for?!" Don quirked a grin. "But first, I want to finish my notes. Metalhead is due for an upgrade and this time it really is going to take some planning." Donnie said nodding pointlessly to himself and putting his book down. He left silent as a ninja to his lab, leaving his older and younger brother alone.

"Casey said there was a good horror movie on tonight, and that left over pizza from last night has my name on it!" Mikey declared launching himself off the couch and in front of the television. The little mutant curled himself up close to the TV as though he wasn't planning to move again for the next year.

Raph sighed, clearly disappointed at his brothers lack of immediate enthusiasm for patrol, but at least they would get some fresh air later tonight. In the meantime, he looked around thinking of something he could be doing while waiting for his life to have meaning once again.

The garage.

His bike has been begging for a tune up. That sounded promising. "Fine. Give me a yell when we are leaving, will ya?" Raph stated loudly to Mikey. His little bro just nodded, not bothering to answer as he searched through the channels. Raph slightly smirked, shaking his head in wonder of what it would take for his little brother to focus on something that didn't consist of a pepperoni topping. Bemused Raph got up and made his way outside the lair. He would go through the back way so he wouldn't disturb Donnie.

…..

After everyone had left to go do their own thing Mikey made his way to the kitchen to retrieve the left over pizza box from the fridge. Even this small familiar action brought memories of his father. Fuzzed images forced themselves into his brain of Splinter catching him eating left-overs, only to make him eat something green after, the healthy leafy green kind, not the sugary gummy green kind. A sad smile made his way across the younger turtle's face. They all missed the old rat so much. At least they still had each other. Hopefully it would always be that way. He simply couldn't imagine his world with any of them missing.

A cold shiver ran down the back of Mikey's neck. It made him smile as he turned about munching on the cold pizza. The mutant made his way to the chilly freezer, swinging open the tiny door with gusto. "Hey there, Ice-Cream Kitty! You want to watch a scary movie with me?" Mikey asked raising his hand towards the mutant rainbow colored cat that lived in the freezer with his popsicles, but his finger was batted away with a wet paw and a hiss. Mikey jumped back a step in surprise, "Whoa, kitty cat! What's wrong?" His kitty hissed again, it was almost a snarl.

Mikey was taken aback by the normally affectionate animal, and the poor thing really was starting to kick up a fuss. "Okay, okay. I'll close the door. Sorry for disturbing you." Mikey closed the door, feeling a little pout creep across his face at the rejection.

 _BANG!_

Mikey jumped a mile, dropping the pizza box on the floor.

'What was that bang? It seemed to echo from somewhere. Must be either Raph in the garage or Donnie in the lab.' He shrugged it off. Sometimes things echoed in the sewers, no big. Not that the self-reassurance was enough to stop Mikey from having a suddenly eerie feeling that he didn't have before. He made his way back to the TV so he could continue with his channel searching. Maybe he should call Casey for a bit of company?

…..

With a few huffs Raph made his way to the garage outside the lair. The lab doors were sealed shut, Donnie clearly didn't want to be disturbed with whatever he was working on. Which meant Raph had had to take the slightly longer side route to the garage.

 _Harrumphing_ to himself Raph scanned the garage, quickly spotting his bike waiting for him next to the van. The thing was missing a handlebar. It was an easy fix, and something useful he could do to kill an hour or two.

Despite the need for the fix and its promising fun when completed the red clad turtle felt the same feeling of boredom seep into his green skin. Raph frowned hard. He never thought he would miss the day when he didn't have something to beat the crap out of! He shook his head. He knew he shouldn't be wishing for more bad stuff to fall into their unlucky green laps. Shell only knew that they had lost enough through so many back to back wars. This was their rest time, or as Master Splinter would say _, 'calm before the storm,'_ and Raph had no doubt that there would be a storm. For a storm _always_ comes.

The boredom left in a wave of the usual questions that always follow this train of thought. Worries of what or who his family would lose next. Would he even make it to old age? Grow a beard maybe? The image made him chuckle. _Him_ with a beard! Ha! But what about his brothers? Would he get to see them all to old age? Would he always be there to protect them?

Ignoring questions that have no answers the turtle grabbed his tool box and started working on his bike. But the worry remained. The thought of losing any of his brothers gave him cold sweats on a regular basis, though he would never admit it.

Just as the red clad turtle started losing himself in his task a cold shiver suddenly ran down the back of his neck, going under his shell. Was there a draft in here? He turned around towards the garage door that led out into the sewer, only to find it shut. Strange. He swore he came through that way, but he didn't remember sliding it shut on his way in...

The sound of the van engine coming to life made the mutant instantly jump up from his seat on the floor. Someone was in the van! But why hadn't they announced themselves when he came in?

Sai's in hands, Raph quickly made his way around to the driver's side, only to see that … that _no one_ was sitting in the seat. There weren't even any keys. Yet the engine was humming. Was it on automatic? Donnie was the only one with the remote controls. Raph quickly made his way over to the main doors, the ones that lead into Donnie's lab, he banged on them. "What the shell's up with the van, Don?" He yelled. There was no answer. "Don!" He knocked louder. "Donnie, you've turned the van engine on!" Still nothing, nor did the door open when he tried. Nervously, Raph looked around as the smell of gas reached his nose. He tried yelling and banging on the door a few more times. For heaven's sake he knew that Donnie was in the next room, why was he not answering?

Quicker than he wanted to admit panic was starting to creep in. The lab wasn't sound proof. Why was Don not answering? Unless... unless something was wrong! Reeling back Raph felt tentacles twisting his guts, he quickly ran to the door leading out into the sewer, only to find that this door too was locked... from the outside. With a strangled moan the hot head realized that he was the one in trouble. His breathing was becoming short and sharp, and not just from the panic. The fumes from the gas tank were starting to get to him. The strong smell made his chest feel tight. He had to get out of here! Why could no one hear him?

…...

Now that Splinter was gone Donnie couldn't help but see the whole situation as a bad pregnancy. With his brother's as something, or someone, who Splinter didn't want, but learned to not regret saving after years of connection, or more accurately, after years of not knowing any better. That's why his father treasured that picture more than anything he or his brothers could ever give him. Because his humans are what he wanted, they are what he got, and perhaps deep down Splinter never really saw past that.

Donnie smiled only slightly sadly with the knowledge that if his sensei's spirit really could see his shrine today he would be more touched to see that old picture of a broken family left in his memory, than one of the children who actually made it.

Donatello sighed thinking oddly fond thoughts about his father as he sat at his desk going over his plans for his robot that lay in the corner of his lab hooked up to his computer. The little red light flashing was the only sign of life from the small machine. Currently, Metal Head was shut down while downloading data from the internet. It was a long process, but one that always made Don a little jealous, the ability of being able to download information straight into your brain without having to read or study it for hours was invaluable, oh if only he could!

Looking back at his plans he had to wonder what else he could be doing with his metal friend. He had learned a lot more about building and the construction of robots from his mechanical alien friend HoneyCutt. Donnie could more or less do whatever he wanted with Metalhead now.

The genius bit his lip, thinking about what marvelous new things he should add. The robot's fighting abilities were just as good as any of his brothers, but he could do with being more flexible. Donnie looked the mechanical marvel up and down again. Maybe taller wouldn't be so bad either... And one day, when he had the equipment, he could give Metalhead a new improved body. It was just a thought. Oh! Maybe even a voice box! That would be cool. Then he could have someone else to talk to who was mentally on the same wavelength as him. Don had to chuckle at that, but there was a twinge of sadness in the laugh. The fact that only a cold machine that he had made himself could be the only one around him that would understand what he was saying was...Well it certainly made a statement.

The smart turtle turned back to his desk only for his eyes to land on another machine across the room he had made. The helmet he had created for April when he had wanted to measure how fast her powers were growing. They hadn't used it since that first time, when April still had the crystal around her neck and was slowly being taken over by, _that_ alien. The memory of that day still made Don shudder. The day he had been torn apart, the day he had essentially...well... _died._ Then come back, but not before he had seen a peek of the after-life.

Once again Don shook his head, trying to force that memory out of his brain. The pain he had felt, the horrid acceptance that nothing here was the same now after being so…happy… for just one second. But time had passed and things had gotten better. His brother's needed him, just as much as he needed them, and he hadn't regretted his return.

The truth was he didn't actually have to of come back at all, not if he hadn't wanted too. He only opened up to Casey about what had happened because he needed to drop some of his mental load and talk about the mind blowing secret of the afterlife onto someone who wouldn't judge him. But he hadn't told the young teen about his _choice_ to return. April had brought his body back together, but he had been told by… something… that the choice for his spirit to return to his body was his alone.

Don sighed again. He was happy he had come back because he and his brothers couldn't be apart. He would gladly give up paradise every time to stay with them through... through the _Hell_ they were living in!

It was only then that Don looked around, realizing just how quiet it had gotten during his musing. He even wondered if his brothers hadn't already set off on patrol without him.

He looked at the helmet device again, trying to jump onto a less depressing train of thought. However, the only other thoughts who seemed willing to stay were very strange ones... He wondered if that mind reader would work on him and Metalhead? With some adjusting could... could it be possible for Don not to just be able to control the robot, but also be mentally connected to him, too? To look out through the eyes of his creation? Gosh! That would be a whole new ball game... But sadly the machine wasn't ready for such things by its self. No. Mind transfer technology was more Rockwell's department. Well maybe that would be worth a mention next time he saw his mutant monkey friend.

Oh come on! Don moaned to himself. He wasn't so bored that he'd start trying something that had a major danger of brain damage. His brothers would never let him try it anyway...

Don dismissed the idea getting back to his work when -

"Hey, Donnie." The turtle almost jumped out of his shell, his notes dropping all over the floor.

"April! When... How... Where did you come in?!" He yelled, jumping up to greet her. It had been so quiet in the lair, Don could've sworn that he was the only one here.

April smiled at him, but he noticed her smile had a filter of sadness over it. "I sneaked in earlier... I've been waiting for you... Dozed off on that cot in the med bay. Only just woke up. I... I wanted to see you." She explained.

"You sneaked in?" Don hadn't thought to check the med bay when he came in. Had he have known the pretty red head had been waiting for him he would have come to the lab _much_ sooner. But why has she been hiding until now? "You...you've been here the whole time...? Why didn't you come to say hi to everyone? I mean, why are you here...?" He repeated looking at the lab doors completely confused as to why she wouldn't want to see all of them. "April is everything ok? I mean NOT that I mind you being here." He stuttered nervously like the love sick idiot that he was around her. "You're always welcome, any time... and I love seeing you... I mean I _like_ seeing you, I just -" Don was suddenly cut off from his rambling by the red head walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his shelled waist, pushing her head into the crook of his neck... She was crying. Why was she crying? "April, what's wrong?" Donnie asked, forgetting everything else as alarm took over.

"I had to come... I had to warn you... Just you... Donnie, it's terrible!" She sobbed.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The red head was shaking, almost violently. Donnie led them both to some chairs. He sat himself down in front of her and held her hands. They were like ice. Where had she been to make her so cold... Her eyes were red and puffy. Her soft lips were trembling. She looked like she had been crying for hours not seconds. To see her so broken yanked hard at the turtle's heart strings. He would do anything to stop those tears.

"I had a vision, Donnie. I felt it... and then, I... I saw it. I saw it all!" She continued to cry.

"Saw... what?" Donnie asked.

"The end." She said simply.

…...

Leo sat in the Dojo, cross-legged with just the candles burning for light. The lair was so quiet. He couldn't even hear the TV any more. He must be in a very deep meditation, and yet his thoughts were troubled. Like a pin constantly stabbing him in the back of the head. It had been quiet for too long and his senses were telling him that even though all their enemies were defeated something would go wrong soon, he wanted to ground himself, ready his spirit for the next battle. So they've had victories, but he couldn't become cocky, he knew it could all be taken away from them at any time. He had to be ready. He had to protect his brothers. He couldn't let anything happen to them. He had promised his father and himself that he would always do whatever he could to put them first, and yet this feeling of dread was lining his stomach.

The blue clad turtle found himself having to take some long deep breaths to find his center and appreciate this place, for its memories of both good and bad. In his mind he had the random and odd sense of watching his brothers slowly, very slowly, fall away from him, and disappear into darkness - A sudden ice chill ran across his neck. A few seconds later, the same chill blew out the candles. A sudden gasp escaped the teen mutant as he felt the second presence in the room.

Before his eyes were even open Leo had drawn his swords ready to strike the intruder. His vision only revealed complete darkness, even outside the dojo doors.

He quickly scanned the dojo, searching for a threat... He didn't have to look too far. The figure was standing at the other side of the room under their tree, looking at him. The outline was of something with a large build, much larger than him. The figure appeared quite relaxed as it looked the young mutant over. Leo's sense of dread filled him. It was the kind of dread that trickled down your spine like ice water and pooled in your gut until all your blood ran cold... because he had just realized _who_ it was here in the dojo with him... in his home... but it couldn't be! He was dead.

The Shredder!

…...

"Oh, come on, Casey! I know my movies. This is not a Steven King!" ... "No, I'm telling you, it's not. Steven King's films weren't in black and white." Mikey argued over the phone as he watched the monster on the screen tear apart the innocent woman. Even in black and white, the blood was still graphic. Her screams made Mikey cringe and wince. "No there is nothing wrong with the TV, it's the movie that's black and white." … "What did you say happens in this movie again?" … "No, there is no tree woman in this. It's a monster thing with teeth eating people"... "Oh, it's gross... he just ripped her arm off."... "I can't look." Mikey looked away. Normally he wouldn't watch things like this, and he really wouldn't watch things like this on his own, but his brothers were just in the other rooms. "What are you talking about, Casey? This isn't set in the 30's... what...? Wait, what channel are you watching?" -

Mikey dropped the phone just as a particularly loud scream from the screen echoed around the room, but that was not what made the young teen jump. It was the louder banging happening at the same time, and this bang Mikey was sure it was coming from just outside the lair, echoing down the tunnel. The turtle gasped trying to stop his heart from coming out of his throat before he could pick up the phone again. "Casey, I think I am going to have to go." ... "Yeah, it's fine, but _someone_ is knocking." He hung up before psyching himself up to a suitable state of suspicious to make his way across the lair. The room was suddenly a lot darker than he remembered. Only the TV screen acted as a source of light. Its flashing cast shadows around the room that made it look like the horror movie was leaking out, infecting the real space with its fear factor.

To anyone else, this would have seemed like a resoundingly bad idea. But for someone like Mikey, and this being his turf, the idea was perfectly logical. Just as Mikey made it to the entrance he found himself grabbing hold of his weapons. His heart thrummed in his chest, drowning out everything else. To his relief there was no one there, just a dark tunnel both ways. His imagination was really running away with him tonight.

 _"_ _Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"_

His nerve promptly shattered by a huge clatter and a scream so loud it could have been outdone a fog horn. Mikey yelped, jumping from the loudness of the movie. How was that woman still alive? This actress had a pair of lungs on her that was for sure. Mikey made his way back to the TV screen grabbing the remote to change the channel, only to find the same show was on the next channel... and the next one... and the next. Okay, this was some serious voodoo tension. The volume seemed to be going up with every flicker of the channels, and with it Mikey's heart rate vastly went up. What was wrong with the TV? Mikey was surprised that his brothers hadn't come out complaining about the noise. He wished they would!

The young turtle found himself becoming more and more frozen with fear as he flicked through the channels, not finding anything else but the same blood and gore. Think it was time to go fetch Donnie!

Or _anyone_ for that matter.

Mikey quickly reached behind the screen, yanking out the plug. With that done Mikey stared at the wire in his hands while doing an impression of a blank slate. Finally he turned his head slowly as he realized that the movie was _still_ playing. Another painful scream was followed by another loud knock! This time right outside the lair entrance!

"Oh, hell no!" the orange clad yelled leaping to his feet and sprinting towards the Dojo. As he ran he yelled his big brother's name obnoxiously. Not that it mattered he'd sprint to the door faster than Leo can open it, gravity's got nothing on these feet!

 _"_ _Michelangelo!"_

The use of his full name wasn't what made the young teen skid to a halt, it was _who_ had said it. The youngest turtle turned around back towards the TV. "Father?!"

…...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Raph clutched at his chest, choking! Though the garage was a wide space, the car fumes were quickly filling him up with suffocating pain. Desperately, he tossed his entire weight against the doors, but it was to no avail. His vision was starting to fuzz as his eyes watered and the room was spinning...

He could feel his movements becoming sluggish, everything started to feel heavy. He wasn't even aware when he had stopped his efforts of trying to get out, nor was he aware that his already desperate choking was worse. All he could feel was the pain in his chest as his throat started to constrict, his surroundings were fading. He tried to hold his breath, but his lungs betrayed him every time, greedily sucking in the toxic air... No! He wasn't going out like this. The red clad turtle forced himself up, stumbling his way across the garage and to the party wagon van. But the effort to reach it was more difficult than he anticipated. Before he could reach the door he had to get off what he was sure felt like a mechanical spinning floor.

With a heavy grunt he felt the adrenaline leak out of his system as he slammed himself against the metal door of the Don's vehicle. If he could get inside the van he could protect himself from the fumes flooding the garage space, at least for a little while. Desperately he yanked at the door, but it was locked and breaking the window would completely defeat the object of getting into it in the first place. He couldn't focus. He didn't have time as the white smoke was now burning his eyes. Desperately with one sai still in his hand he thrust the blade into the lock. He had picked a car lock before, but not while he was drunk on car fumes. If... if he could just br-brake... it?

How the hell his brothers couldn't smell the gas was beyond him. Maybe if he set off the car alarm, that would get their attention.

The red clad turtle tightly closed his eyes, resting his head against the glass. The world was drifting further away from him, but his hand defiantly worked on automatic, furiously attacking the lock. "Please... please open." Raph wasn't into pleading, but right now, he would plead with anything that might be listening. He heaved a breath and gagged on it, coughing hard from the smoke that was pouring into his lungs. The imaginary pressure in his brain was starting to push him to the floor, his hands scraped down the window as he slowly sank. In minutes, he was going to be dead. Cold stone dead!

 _Click!_

Raph's eyes snapped open, but he could no longer see clearly. In fact he wasn't sure which way was up or which way was down. His muscles dragged at the simple task of pulling open the door before falling forward, head first, onto the seat. He swallowed and blinked furiously, a shiver ran down his spine as if someone had dropped cold water down the back of his shell. He shuddered against it, frowning at the slow trickle of calm working away at the dregs of his panic. With calm finality he yanked the door closed behind him. Only now that he could breathe again did he become aware of how much his throat burned. His vision still swam and he wanted to be sick, but he would settle for just passing out instead.

…... The red turtle wasn't aware how long he had been out, but as the world started to come back to him he found that he was lying across the van seats at a very awkward angle. He could feel the steering wheel pushing against his leg. With some effort, he pushed himself into a sitting position. His head still throbbed and his throat burned dry as though he had just choked down a ton of sand.

"What the hell?!" The red clad turtle said, amazed that he was still alive. A few more moments and it would have been game over...

What the heck happened? And why had no one heard him? Raph pushed himself up and looked around the outside of the garage. It was only then that he realized the engine was no longer humming and... and both the lab and garage doors were open.

So someone had come in and saved him after all, but then why had they just left him here alone in... in the dark...? Why were all the lights out? Even in the lab? Taking a few more minutes to breathe in some non-toxic air the hot head carefully made his way out of the van. Where was everyone? The calm he had worked so hard to bring back scurried away, back into the dark corners of his panicked mind, as a new wave of ice reached out, stroking his neck.

Sai at the ready Raph made his way into his brother's lab.

As his eyes adjusted, he scanned around for danger or any sign of his siblings, but one look at the room made him gasp. The lab was trashed! No, it wasn't just trashed! Almost everything was obliterated! All Donnie's equipment was turned over, every piece of glass was smashed. Raph couldn't see anything salvageable accept a broken lamp that flickered in the darkness, trying its best to hold onto the last few seconds of power. It all looked like a scene from an aftermath of an earth quake... or an atomic bomb!?

"DONNIE! MIKEY! LEO!" Raph desperately shouted into the devastated pit. Instantly, fear for his family's safety clawed ruthlessly at his heart and panic swallowed him up like a sink hole! Had the street above them collapsed onto their heads? Or had Donnie's experiments caused an explosion again? No, even Don couldn't do this much damage!

Where the shell were his brothers!? Quickly, he started making his way through the rubble. Was the whole lair trashed as bad as the lab, he wondered? It was a good assumption, but a part of him didn't want to go and find out -

A sudden growling from the lair made him flinch and then freeze to the spot. Someone... no, _something_ was in the lair! And by the sounds of it, it wasn't friendly!

…..

"What... what do you mean the... _end?_ " Donnie repeated the word. He knew the concept of the term _'the end,'_ but either he was misunderstanding April's meaning, or he just didn't want to get it.

"I'm sorry, Donnie. I'm so sorry," She sobbed. "I saw it Donnie. We are all going to die! Everyone... I mean every human! In the worse and most painful way..." The red head cried deeply and long into his neck, unable to look him in the eyes.

"I don't understand. What...? When…? How does this happen?" Donnie wasn't deliberately sounding dim. He understood perfectly what she was saying, but how does one even respond to that? The turtle forced on a bucket of composure, trying to understand whatever explanation he may hear. "Okay, let's just calm down a moment and tell me what you saw, from the beginning." He tried to sound confident and reassuring, despite the huge rock that had just fallen into his stomach. This time April did look up at him, her eyes were big with fear. She tried to draw in the panic from her tone. Was she not being clear?

"I have seen what's coming. The world will stand still... There will be a white light that burns, and then all will be gone. Everything, GONE!" The look in her eyes sent shivers down his spine.

"Okay... c-can you tell me... what caused it?" He asked, struggling hard to flatten the clenching, swirling, sick feeling in his gut.

"Donnie you're not listening to me! Everything is gone! There is NOTHING we can do!" She said a little louder, her frustration growing.

"That's not true... I _don't_ believe that. There is always something we can do. Just tell me what you know-"

"You DON'T want to know what I saw! That's why I came here. Donnie, it's too late!" April yelled. "There is nothing we can do now... The world is going to burn... In the worse way you can imagine..."

Donnie couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not just the prediction of their oncoming death, but the fact that April had already given up. Not to mention the less important but equally interesting fact that _premonitions_ are a sudden new talent added to the psychic and telekinetic list that his friend possessed. Well it wasn't such a stretch of the imagination. How hard could seeing the future really be to someone as amazing as April…. Donnie decided not to answer that.

But why was she so defeated? After everything they had gone through how could she not even want to try? It was scaring him more than the news itself. Don was just about to open his mouth to respond but was cut off. He became frozen in his seat, and every thought he may have had in his head died as he suddenly felt April's lips pressed against his. Though this was probably the most depressing and most terrifying news he had ever been given, for a second it seemed to become over-shadowed by the fact that he was having what may be his last kiss from the girl he loved. His mind couldn't comprehend anything else.

…..

There is an odd kind of sick sensation that everyone experiences at some point in their lives when they're suddenly faced with a situation that is so unbelievable, and also so cripplingly terrifying, that they don't know what to do. In those rare situations Leo could only do what Leo did best, follow his instincts. And right now his instincts were telling him to jump up, pull out a sword, and cut down the large man who had killed his father... again.

The monster had already been brought back from the dead once before as nothing better than a sad walking corpse. How many times was the dark ninja master going to drag himself from the beyond to hunt them!?

Just as the turtle went to strike the large ninja Leo got a perfect snapshot of the dead man. With no cold metal helmet to hide his face Leo could see the lidless sunken eye sockets. Shredder's gaunt, pale, thinned skin made him almost skeletal. In fact the guy's entire body looked that way, simply depleted. However the muscles were still there, sitting tight across his almost paper-thin skin. He looked more fragile than before, which only served to make the deep purple circles under his eyes more ominous and disturbing.

Just as Leo's sword swished through the air to connect with his old rival the large man caught the metal with his hands, effortlessly yanking the hilt out of Leo's fist. Almost mechanically Shredder tossed the blade aside before violently shoving the turtle back onto his shell with ease. The new fragile look to the Shredder wasn't at all a real one. He was just as strong as he ever was.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Leonardo!" Boomed the large, and now much more terrifying, _'man.'_ The father killer bore down upon the mutant, forcing Leo's arms back till he was completely pinned to the floor.

Leo lashed out with a kick to Shredder's gut, making his enemy recoil and giving Leo the chance to twist his arms free before flipping and rolling backwards away from him. In seconds Leo was back on his feet, ready to attack again. The Shredder, however, had not made a move.

"I didn't come to fight you," the, _not_ a ghost but a corpse, said with disturbingly flat clarity.

"Then you shouldn't have come back!" Leo spat, not relaxing his attack stance.

"I don't need to," Shredder said in the same expressionless, flat, and empty tone. The enemy moved back to lean against the wall admiring...no, judging, the Dojo that the two of them stood in. He even tilted his head as he looked over the tree. "So this is where Hamato Yoshi raised and trained his prodigies?" He shook his head, positively confused. "How... unimpressive. It doesn't at all reflect the power he welled," Shredder sneered.

Anger twinged in the mutant's chest and his hands clenched. The Dojo was his place of peace! How dare this murderer insult it while in his father's home! Even in death, this _man_...no! This _thing_ had actually come back just to insult him? What the shell!? "My father didn't feel the need to imprison everything he was with cold, soulless, metal blades!" Leo snapped back, not breaking his attack stance.

The insult was less than effective, completely going over the Shredder's head. If anything the once human just looked more irritated. "All that time I spent searching for you, and you were just here."

Leo put his hands down. "Is that why you're here? Unfinished business? You just _had_ to know where we lived?" _Who_ was the pathetic one now?

"No, not really. I was just curious. I am dead. I am over it," Shredder looked back at the mutant.

Leo's brow creased. This was NOT what he had been expecting at all... Unless this was a trick! Yes, it had to be. The Shredder had once again found a loop hole, returning to the land of the living with some plan to avenge his relentless twisted existence. And somehow this new big, horrible, overreaching evil plot was going to come crashing down on top of his family. If they didn't get ahead of it and figure out how to stop it right away, more of his family was going to suffer.

So what was it?

Normally the one and only thing Shredder could be counted upon was bragging about how he had once again escaped his well-deserved fate. How brilliantly cunning he was, and how much they were all going to suffer for it. This standing around and _talking_ put him on uneven ground. It was, it was just wrong. _Not to mention anti-climatic!_

With gritted teeth Leo gripped his other sword still in his shell and swung, again striking out at the man he hated so much. He would make the Shredder talk!

…...

Completely forgetting about running to his brothers Mikey was again back in front of the loud TV, begging for it to talk to him in his father's distorted voice.

"Dad!" He yelled at the terrifying images slaughtering the picture. "Is that you? Talk to me again. Please... please... is that you?" Moments later, the TV finally turned off, blanketing the room in darkness. "What!? No! No, come back! Sensei!" The young teen pleaded, shaking the black solid box.

 _"_ _Michelangelo!"_ The desperate, strangled voice was now behind him. In surprise Mikey's body jumped, but what made him scream was the reflection of his late father, complete with walking stick, standing in the blacked-out screen right behind him! Mikey snapped his head around, only to see that he was the only one still sitting in the room. More knocking, this time it was coming from within the room itself, as though someone was knocking a... a _wooden stick_ on the ground. The tapping continued, getting louder. Mikey covered his ears as the noise grinded into him. He didn't understand. Beyond scared now his eyes started stinging, tears were leaking out as the knocking persisted, almost violently. Where were his brothers? Why had they not come running back in here? Unless... something was stopping them from doing so. Something clearly was going on. Was it the same thing making that knocking? What wanted his attention so badly?

'Wait!' Mikey mentally screamed as something metaphorically hit him. He knew that sound!

It was the sound of his father's walking staff! Whenever Splinter was angry or training them he would bang his stick on the ground, just as a warning for them to stop whatever disruption they were causing. It always instantly brought everything to a halt. Once was normally enough, but this sound was like that, only continuous.

Mikey looked up into the dark nothingness of the room and the tapping stopped simultaneously.

"Sensei, is that you?" The little turtle asked weakly, the twisting feeling in his gut tightening. There was no response. Mikey racked his brain. What to do... what to do...? Then he remembered something he had seen on what he liked to call the _spooky_ channel, as it was normally showed things like _Ghost Hunters_. "Tap once for 'Yes,' and twice for 'No'." He instructed before getting up. "Father, is that you?" He asked again, sounding much braver than he felt.

Tap!

 _'Yes,'_ Mikey clarified. The little turtle gulped down the large lump in his throat, forcing the gross feeling back down into his gut. His father was here. He smiled as a small wave of relief rushed over him, he could still remember the feeling of that safe warm furry protective hand on him. But why was he here? Splinter had... moved on... to wherever that place the dead moved on to... And Leo had seen him clearly in a solid ghostly form right before he moved on... What was with all the heeby-jeebys haunted house effects now? Was it because of the shrine? In Japanese culture the spirit would live within the shrine, like a door-way. "Father!" Mikey called into the dark again. "Do you want to talk to me?"

Tap!

"Okay, then talk to me. Why are you here?"

Tap tap...

This time Mikey frowned. "No?" Why couldn't his father talk to him like he had with Leo? "Father, is something wrong?"

Tap!

"Are you here alone?"

Tap tap...

"Is that why you can't talk to me? Is something stopping you?"

Tap!

Mikey felt himself loose a few shades of green. Who else was here? Who could stop his Master from talking to him? The orange clad looked again at the Dojo, and then across to the lab. He could make a break for it. "Father, should I go get the others?"

Tap tap.

He was afraid of that. Just then the TV flicked back on, but only for a second. Still in that second the light flooded the room, and Mikey saw his father standing just beyond the couch. His eyes were wide and completely white, his face twisted in pain. His hand stretched out towards the young turtle, as though he wanted him to run towards him. But just as the TV went dark again, the image vanished in a blanket of darkness. Mikey could feel himself shaking inside his shell, but he started making his way over towards the apparition. "Father!" He shook, reaching for him, but a nasty growling stopped him. That _wasn't_ his father. It sounded more like a wild, starving, possibly rabid animal.

The TV flicked on again, he saw Splinter again, only this time he clearly wasn't alone. A large completely black figure with claws was standing behind the rat, constricting him around his neck. Splinter was gasping, chocking under the clawed creature, reaching out pleadingly for his son to help him. Then they vanished again, just as the light from the TV went off!

"NO! Get off him! Let him go!" Mikey yelled angrily. The thing, that he was sure he had just watch rip apart the woman in the horror movie, was stopping his father from talking to him. Mikey stepped closer to where the transparent figures had been, even though he couldn't see anything he knew they were there... He saw the outline of something turn to face him in the dark. Mikey raised his fist, ready to strike out, but the growling turned into a deafening screech! Instantly the smaller turtle was thrown back.

"GET OUT!" An insidious voice howled.

The young mutant was thrown into a crumpled twitching heap across the room. His shell had even bounced a little upon the impact. For a moment Mikey's mind had gone blank, he hadn't even realized that he had been tossed until he saw the steps of the main exit just next to him. A copper taste filled his mouth before he felt it running down the side of his cheek. He must've bitten his tongue. Ouch! But the worst pain was the sharp ache that spiked down his chest where the thing had pushed him.

"Sewer apples!" Mikey cursed as he spat the blood from his mouth. This thing could hurt him, but _he_ couldn't hurt it. The voice instantly made the teen jump to his feet and run for the exit. He'd come back when the fight was fair, maybe with his brothers to back him up... but just as he got to the metal barriers, he stopped himself.

"NO!" Mikey shouted. The anger slammed against the inside of his chest as strongly as the fear. "My father needs me. I'm not going anywhere!" he declared folding his arms stubbornly.

Even though the room was completely blacked out, Mikey felt the terrifying atmosphere freeze in an unexpected silence. Clearly this thing... whatever it was, had taken him to be a coward and just run away like a scared child. Now it realised he wasn't, Mikey knew that the threat it had posed standing between him and his father would no longer be restrained to just violent warnings. No. Now the fight was on.

For a second when the TV flickered back to life, Mikey was sure he saw his father look up from beneath the creature with an unexpected, even slightly surprised look of hope in his eyes.

…...

For what felt like ages Donnie was frozen to the spot. The girl he had dreamed about wasn't only returning his feelings, but was actually enforcing them.

 _Whhhhoooaaa! Is this happening? Am I dreaming? Please, I don't want to wake up now...whoa whoa whoa what is happening?_

After a moment of his heart pounding, his palm sweating, and his knees shaking the turtle finally kissed her back. He brought up his hands to her shoulders pulling her closer. There was just one thing getting in the way of what he considered a perfect moment. Why?

Was she doing this because she had some vision of their oncoming death? Was she just fulfilling some last request? Or did she actually like him the way he had always liked her?

 _Oh, who the shell cares!_

The giddy acceptance was enough for a moment, but something... something felt different than the last time she had kissed him at the farm house. Something felt... _wrong_.

Before he could question this any further April pulled away. She still looked sad, but at the same time calmer and more hopeful. Donnie just blinked his wide eyes at her, completely stunned by her actions. He wanted to be smooth. He wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to do _anything_ other than sit here looking like a rabbit in headlights, but there was just something holding him back from reveling in the moment he had so often dreamed about.

 _Why, oh why do I have to overthink everything?!_

April slowly turned her frown into a soft smile. "We can't waste any more time, Donnie. Let's just enjoy the time we have left. We can be together... That's what you want isn't it?"

"W...w-what? What y-ou …. mean? …. You mean together like... like a boyfriend?!" Donnie gulped.

Then his head exploded.

"Ok... yes...YES I would _love_ to be your boyfriend. Should warn you I don't know much about being a boyfriend though. But don't worry, I am sure there is a leaflet I can read – wait... do they have manuals on being a boyfriend!? - wait - What am I saying?" End of the world... slightly more pressing issue... isn't it? Slightly... maybe.

April chuckled. Donnie was so cute when he was nervous. She went to kiss him again, but this time the mutant begrudgingly stopped her, leaning away.

"No... no wait this isn't right... Something's not right here." Donnie shook his head. Talk about a roller-coaster of emotions! And like all roller-coasters, it was over way too fast! "I don't want to do this!" He couldn't believe what he was saying, but still found himself saying it. "Not if you don't want me! ME! Not because of some vision that made you think that we are all going to die -"

"YOU are going to die Don... Me. Casey. My dad. My friends at school. That family who lives next door to us. That old woman who owns the paper shop. That kid who washes the windows to my apartment block. The pizza guy. Even my dentist isn't going to make it! Everyone, gone! ... I saw your path Donnie. We have no future... There is nothing we can do so we might as well just be happy here and now... Nothing else matters, not any more." She looked sad again. April was going to die? 'No!' Donnie thought frantically. This couldn't happen. He wasn't about to argue, but he couldn't believe that there was just nothing they could do. If April was having visions, it had to be for a reason.

In a sense she was saying that everything they had sacrificed and done to save this world had all been for nothing. How could she just expect him to accept that?!

As though reading his mind April's face morphed into an angry glare, "NO DONNIE!" She shouted, jumping at her chance before he could say anything. She had to get this through to him before it was too late. "There is NOTHING we can do. Not now, not ever!" She looked him over like she was about to cry again. So lost and so scared for _him._ This did nothing to stop the cold chill that ran down Donnie's neck. Somehow he knew deep down that she was telling the truth and that she was right. He had been living on borrowed time. Could it be that his time was up? He wanted to protect her and his family... Wait! His family! April had said he and everyone. But she hadn't actually said his brothers! Were they just included as _everyone?_ That didn't sound right.

"What about my brothers?" He asked slowly, but he suddenly felt a buildup of tears pushing to get out of his eyes. An internal panic deep down when you knew the end was coming.

April looked away. "You _can't_ help them. Not this time... Donnie, you have to let them go," she pleaded.

"But...but will they survive? Can I save them?" He looked up hopefully, but instead of reassurance she grabbed his hands, her eyes wild with anger.

 _"_ _Why would you want to do that?!_ Save them and let them stay here in this Hell!? I thought you loved them!" she almost yelled. Donnie blinked. "You think this world is bad now!? You don't know what Hell is, Donatello. But you will soon." Her grip on his hand was tight. "This is your only chance to let go and come with **me** instead. We can leave this place together and go find Heaven again like you did before. You can find peace and we can be together like you wanted."

At that Donnie's breath caught tight in his throat. His blood ran cold, but she hadn't finished. "If we go now, it won't hurt." Her grip was painful and the look in her eyes was more desperate than ever. "If you really want to help your brothers then let's take them with us. You can end their pain before it starts. They will never know what Hell is like, and when they wake up again we will all be in the next life, safe and happy together. You can be with Master Splinter again... That's what you want, isn't it Donatello?"

At that, Donnie closed down his shocked expression. Instead, he took a deep breath, forcing his hands out of her grip. Without taking his eyes off her he stood and walked around to the other side of the table, putting some distance between them. April looked confused and even a little hurt by the cold look on his face.

"Who are you?" Donatello asked in the strongest and most dangerous tone he had had to put together in his life because he KNEW, with every fiber of his being, that it was NOT April O'Neil sitting here right now.

…...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **Would like to give another big shout out to the best beta XxTurtletracerxX in the world. Don't know how she copes with me. Lol.**

 **Please review. I don't know if I am improving if you don't tell me :-)**

 **CjtheStoryteller, I hope I have done you proud ;-)**

…...

Arms up, sai's ready.

It was a position that Raph always found comforting. The fighting pose helped keep the heat in his chest at bay, until now that is. Whatever was making a racket in the lair was big….and his sai's were small. The mutant's first instinct was to run into the lair and attack whatever was invading his home, but he would rather know where his brothers were first. That and, for some reason, he was struggling to breathe again like before. Hopefully it was simply a side effect of breathing the gas in from earlier, and not more car fumes leaking into the room. The tightness across his chest hoped for the best.

The creature stomped its way through the lair, trashing and destroying everything in its path. Raph only got glances of it through the crack of the lab doors. He didn't know what it was, only that it was big! At least 8 feet high. Its Muscles bulged... Its skin was a light pale, with an almost eerie slight green glow to it. The freak was also wearing some kind of metallic spiky armour! But it was the eyes that sent Raph ducking out of sight in terror. They glowed even brighter than its skin... Even in the dark Raph could see that.

What was this thing? Why was it just trashing the lair? What did it want? Better question, what had it done with his brothers? Despite the pain the red clad turtle was feeling in his throat again, he was ready to charge when - _"Raphie?"_ A weak voice reached his ears, making him freeze. He snapped his head around. It was coming from a pile of rubble in the corner of the room. A weak moaning sound came from the corner. It was faint, but it sounded kinda... _Donnie-ish!_

"Don!?" Raph shouted. He shoved his Sai's back in his belt as the teen made his way over in the dark, being careful not to alert the giant mutant creature of his presence. There was so much rubble. Why was there so much rubble? He saw a flash of green where the probably Donnie should be lying.

Raph hissed under his breath, snake like in his anger "Hold on Donnie, I'm coming," he promised. Right next to the corner now Raph pushed what he was sure was a slab of the ceiling off his brother's legs, than another cemented piece off his shelled torso, one off his arm, and some smaller ones off his neck and….. Seriously why was there so much rubble!?

Suddenly a small green hand reached for him, grabbing him around his wrist. A pair of big eyes looked up at him through a bloody and filthy purple mask. Yup, it was Don. In an attempt to comfort him, Raph brushed his fingers over his little brother's cheek... _His little brother_... There was blood spilling out from his mouth... Donnie was hurt... He didn't know how badly, yet. But Raph had to repress a wince as he cleared the last of the debris from his body, only to find that blood was pooling out of Donnie's side and onto the floor!

Raph tried to gasp, but suddenly had an encompassing urge to fall apart. _No... no, no...God no!_ Even though the room was dark, it had not been dark enough for him to miss the freaking _hole_ in Donnie's front with a narrow chunk of metal sticking out of it! It had punctured through his shell... Dear God! Raph huffed, feeling like the air had been taken out of him and his eyes blurred. _No, breathe. In, out. In, out..._ This was bad! This was so bloody bad that Donnie could - No! Donnie was going to be alright. He had to be! Raph would get him out of here, take him somewhere safe. His mind worked frantically. Maybe to that underground hospital they had found when vampires and monsters were chasing them? He hadn't being there at the time of the discovery, but man! That had been a gift. A perfect place to set up an infirmary, treating all the injuries they kept accumulating. Either way, it would do for now and Donnie would tell him how to patch him up. It wasn't the greatest pep talk he had ever given himself.

"Donnie, it's...it's okay. I got ya'," Raph soothed, his mind reeled, bouncing in too many directions at once at what this meant. To his horror he found himself having to blink tears away as he looked over the open wound. He wasn't a doctor, or even a medic, but he wasn't stupid either. He couldn't let Don see him cry. He had to be strong.

"I think I'm floating... Am I floating, Raph? I... I don't think... I'll be d-dancing again... any time soon," The smart turtle tried for a hollow snicker, but instead more blood spluttered from his mouth. His body twitched randomly, weakly, but despite the situation he allowed himself a slight smirk that Raph didn't return.

The red clad turtle looked back, trying to decide on words that wouldn't end with him breaking down. He felt his fear bleed into the air. In the end he said nothing, as if saying anything out loud would confirm just how bad it was. He said nothing, reflecting the nothing that he wished was happening….

No! He had to focus! Donnie had to be alright! He... he couldn't die! No, Raph wouldn't let him.

But alas, in the end he hadn't needed to say or do anything. Donnie was smart, he already knew. "Its okay, Raph... I can't feel _anything,_ not anymore," he whispered in a peaceful voice Raph felt was out of place. He should be screaming as the blood rose from the severed veins, but Raph knew he had already missed that part, and now hearing him say he couldn't feel anything was worse.

"You're going to be okay. Just keep your eyes open," Raph paused to release a painful cough, "and keep looking at me."

The lie came out easy through his bitten lip. "What happened to ya', Don? What's going on?" He pleaded while placing his hand on the side of the wound. Blood coated his hands as he kept a steady pressure on the site. His little brother's life force escaped from his body in a steady unrushed stream. There was nothing he could use to stop the bleeding with, not with the metal shard still sticking out of him. Oh God, what was he meant to do?

Donnie's eyes fluttered to the other room. They could still hear the monster on its war path. "Did he do this to ya'?" Raph asked. He gridded his teeth between coughs, repressing the urge to run into the lair and lash out, but the experienced hothead kept the building panic dulled to a manageable roar.

A switch flicked and Donnie's switched to a serious tone, like he had just remembered something important. "He's going to kill us all, Raph! It's too late for me... Get away from here while you still can," the younger turtle pleaded with him.

Raph blinked. His shock made the air vibrate and drowned out his fear. Was his brother actually telling him to leave him to die?! "Don't say that! I'm NOT going to leave ya'," another loud cough, "Just hold on bro!" he cried angrily. "Where the shell are Mikey and Leo?"

"Mikey's gone, Raph... He's not coming back..." A tear escaped out of the smart turtle's eye as he said that.

Instead of gasping his shock Raphael had to turn his head away to cough again. **"** What do ya' mean gone!? He left ya'? No... No, Mikey wouldn't. Do you mean that thing out there got him!?" Raph's heart lurched so hard in his chest it pushed the air clean out of his lungs. The air was so thick in here. He felt like he was suffocating….again.

"He's just gone... and Leo..." Don didn't finish. His eyes just flickered towards the other room. "It's too late, Raph... Please don't let him find you." With a choked sigh and a shaky hand he reached for his brother's cheek. "I'm not going to make it Raph, and I don't want you to suffer... It's best if you just end this now. Please, Raphie." The blood on Donnie's face mixed with a new release of tears.

"No! I don't believe that. Th-those dorks are here somewhere. I'll find them," Raph protested, Donnie didn't know what he was saying. He had just lost too much blood, too lost in a semi-conscious bliss. Raph wasn't about to quit on his two brothers, or on this one. "You're NOT going to die because I won't let you! Donnie, tell me what to do-?" A sudden crash from the wall cut Raph off. The monster must've heard him! With another _bang_ it was clear that the thing was now trying to get into the lab. The red clad turtle instantly took a defensive position over his little brother's limp body. He wouldn't let this thing get in here and finish them off.

The growling was loud, but it almost sounded like the beast was in pain...?

"Raph, listen to me-" But Donnie was interrupted as he felt his big brother's arms slip under his legs and around his shell. Being careful not to touch the metal Raph swept his brother up into his arms, bridle style. He knew it was the worst thing he could do with those injuries, but not moving him when a giant monster was just about to break down the door was worse. And Don didn't seem to be affected by his action's much anyway. A fact that made Raph want to puke. Deep down, Raph knew he was too late – No! He _couldn't_ think like that. This just couldn't be happening!

Donnie gasped as his strong brother quickly but silently carried him back into the garage, kicking the door shut behind them before heading towards the van he had just escaped from. As gently as he could, Raph placed him onto the passenger seat, angling him so he was leaning on his side so the metal didn't have any pressure against it. Then Raph rushed around the other side, quickly slipping into the driving seat. Raph released another series of coughs. "Don't worry, Donnie. I'm going to get you out of here and then I'm going to find Mikey and Leo," he said, but it was difficult. His throat was hurting again. "Just stay with-" A painful cough ran up Raph's throat, interrupting him as it escaped his lips. "Crap! The keys! Donnie, WHERE are the keys? Crap, crap, crap! I'll have to hot-wire it."

…...

Leo's sword was aimed for Shredder when the shimmer of the father killer changed. There couldn't have been more than a second between the difference and Leo's hit, but when the contact didn't come, and the turtle found himself beating thin air, he stopped. Confused with his weapons still raised, Leo frantically looked about him. Did the Shredder just… disappear? What he had always considered the safest room in the world, was now the place where he was trying to make it to the door without being ambushed.

He never made it.

Out of nowhere the Shredder appeared, tauntingly positioning himself behind the turtle. In silence the murderer yanked Leo's arm back, making him drop the weapon before twisting the young turtle around and throwing him across the room. Leo only came to a stop when he felt his forehead smack on the corner of the wall. Then his mind went blank.

By the time he had enough of his senses back to push himself up off his front Leo felt the dead man's ice cold claw pushing him violently back onto his shell, the clawed appendage was moved, only to be replaced with a unfairly metaled foot that pressed down onto his chest, effectively pinning him to the floor. Now he was defenceless. The blue clad braced himself for more pain, but none came.

Leo looked to see the man who was nothing but absolute evil seem content to simply stare at him, or well glare at him, as though waiting for something. Leo tried to push the boot off of him, but it wouldn't budge. His struggles were futile.

"Are you finished?" Shredder asked sounding almost board.

"I'm not going to lay here and let you kill me without a fight," Leo's eyes narrowed up at him. "But if you are going to add more blood to your pathetic murder chart just do it, and stop all this taunting."

"I already told you Leonardo, I am not here to kill you... Well actually I am, but this time that has to be your choice," he said removing his foot and stepping back. The leader wasted no time jumping to his feet and placing himself a safe distance away from the dead man.

"What do you mean my choice?"

The shredder folded his arms, but he didn't breathe. No huffs of exasperation over a question. No rise and fall of his shoulders. No oxygen would escape this man. Not anymore. "The world you know is about to change," he said. "And apparently the universe has decided that you and your brothers deserve a choice on how you want to end." Shredder looked a little put out by this piece of information, like he didn't understand it. "I volunteered to be your _'messenger_ ,' given our history I felt that it was fitting, if not a little ironic," he chuckled, but then his voice turned a little darker. "You can let me kill you now and go and join your coward of a father in the next world, who knows, your brothers might join you there if they have any sense about them, and you can all live happily ever after... or you can stay and face what is coming."

"I have never turned and run away from anything... If something bad is going to happen, then I will face it, and I will stop it, just like I always have," the turtle snapped dangerously. "Being a coward is NOT how I was raised and I _know_ my brothers will make the same choice as me," he finished with an air of pride.

"Even if you knew there was absolutely NOTHING you could do to stop it this time?" Shredder said looking him over rather curiously.

"Yes even then. How do I know we could have stopped it without even trying?"

"You can't stop fate... In the end we are all just puppets until the universe decides to intervene, but that is not the argument right now... believe me when I say there is no point to it... I am here for a purpose and I don't have long left to walk in the world of the living. I am offering you to live in paradise... as long as I get to kill you. That is _my_ consolation prize if you choose smartly. Or you can choose to stay and live in Hell. Again I win." He sneered. "Is that your final answer warrior?"

"Geez you really know how to sell something don't you," the turtle sneered. "Yes that is my answer. I am not afraid. I will defend this world with my last breath and when I do go to paradise one day, I know I will have earned it. Now do me a favour and go crawl back into the fire pit you came out of if you please," Leo said folding his arm in a mock imitation of the Shredder's pose. The young lad breathed in the face of his father's killer, he breathed deeply, heavily…. Tauntingly.

Shredder clenched his claws, his anger silent but real. Then he let it go, in a way he never could in life. With a newfound smirk Shredder levelled his gaze back at Leo, and the look was steady. "I had bet as much," the Shredder said with a single nod, Leo did not like the smirk. The dead man was just about to turn away when he looked the turtle over one last time. "So noble, and yet it is nice to know MY legacy will live on."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo snapped. His battle defences suddenly rising again as the dead man stepped towards him. Not that his readiness helped, he didn't get a second to blink before he felt himself being tossed across the room once again. As he bounced off the hard floor Leo simultaneously felt himself being dragged to his feet, before being pushed back against the stone. The same cold dead claw clenched around Leo's throat as the Shredder got up into his face for one final victory, in any way he could get it.

"On a more personal note," the Shredder whispered into Leo's inner ear "I want you to remember me! When all other thoughts of love from your father and brothers have vanished, you will find under all that noble front, just _me!_ Driving you insane," Patronisingly he tapped the turtle's forehead. Leo growled an unmanly pubescent squeak of rage. It didn't help.

"My hatred will be the strongest weapon you have to survive in the world that's coming... My rage will be all you remember until you become your worse fear... Me!"

"Never!" Leo spat, his eyes ablaze and determined. "I will NEVER be like you!"

…...

Despite the heart clenching terror Mikey made his way back to the centre of the room. Every now and then he glanced about, always spotting a shadow moving around, circling him. Like a predator watching its prey while searching for the best point in the room to attack. He could hear it snarling, but his father needed him. He knew what to do. His father's teachings showed him not just how to be able to defend himself in the physical world, but the spiritual one too. There had only ever been one problem with this particular lesson. Focus and stillness combined always caused an uncomfortable desperation to bubble and move inside him. Frankly he was bad at it, but right now he knew his focus was all that was standing in his way of saving his father's spirit, and casting out whatever this thing was.

The ice on his neck trickling down his spine gave him goose bumps. He knew ' _it'_ was standing right behind him. If Mikey had hair, it would be standing on end... _Him with hair... that would be interesting –_ No, Mikey, FOCUS! He berated himself silently, physically slapping himself back to the situation.

"I won't let you down, Master," the small orange clad turtle declared. Mikey sat himself down crossed-legged in the middle of the growingly cold room. He could see his own breath swirling around him, like the smoke of a fire breathing dragon as the ice nipped at his green skin. Mikey began to take deep breaths, desperate to remember what his father in life had tried to instil in him when facing an enemy on the spiritual plane, to be able to leave his own body with the capacity to still fight and defend himself... But he had to have a strong will, a will as strong as Leo's! One as determined as Raph's and as deep as Donnie's. He had to break through that barrier... He had to focus!

Every second that passed Mikey found it harder and harder to stay still, not just because it was going against the grain of his very life, but also because he could feel the dark presence coming closer. The young turtle wanted to recoil, but he knew that would do him no good. Instead he tried visualizing a protective wall around himself. In this world words didn't mean anything... it was all in the mind, and _no one_ had an imagination like his! Even his brothers couldn't deny that after they had ventured into it with HoneyCutt's help that time in space. He could do this! He had to do th-

A yelp escaped him as he suddenly felt himself roughly sliding back on his butt across the room. The pressure was pushing him around his neck as he was slammed hard against the wall with enough force to blacken his vision for a second. His head collided with the brick, and he gagged at the shattering pain that spiralled through his temple. The blood now in his throat made him choke.

Okay, maybe he needed to try harder... He couldn't run. This thing was already in his head! "Sewer cakes! Sewer apples...! Oh crap!" he mouthed.

Mikey felt _it_ looming over him once again, but he was careful to keep his eyes closed. He didn't want to commit this thing's features to memory. It would scare him too much to concentrate... No, the best way to master his fear right now was to let his other senses take over. Imagine this thing was just a normal foot thug that needed a beat down.

He knew this thing was right in front of him... He could feel its breath on his face. The growling and snarling was growing louder, yet it was moving closer.

Well to bad, it needed to back up!

"Back off creep!" Mikey _mentally_ yelled in his mind. The turtle sat himself up, spitting more blood out onto the floor, but he forced himself to reach out and break past the barrier he had spent so long ignoring... "You won't distract me -!" Once again, he was cut off, and a slamming pressure connected with his throat, crushing his wind pipe. Its claws were cutting into his skin. He managed to restrict his surprise to a muffled yelp before - "I said, get OFF!" he yelled so loud _internally_. Out of reflex he shot up his arms, trying to batter the thing away, but his arms were so heavy. Mikey had a scary feeling that the limbs hadn't moved. No that wasn't it, it was because he had only imagined himself hitting back, but in voodoo hoodoo terms, it's still a hit.

One nasty hissing sound later and his neck was released. Mikey felt panic rise in his chest and tried to force it down. _Did he do that?_

Seconds passed, a minute. Now and again the TV would turn back on just for a few seconds, every time it did Mikey could hear his father's cries of distress. He didn't want to look... He didn't want to see his father in pain. One more sound of hurt, and it was enough. "Get off him!" Mikey shouted rising to battle. The young one couldn't stop his own growl anger. As if he didn't have enough motivation.

The young teen pushed his mind forward. So far that he was almost sure the room was shaking. Wait... Was that in his mind or the real world? The room... the room was shaking, like when a train was passing over. Only the train seemed to be passing right outside the lair, and it wasn't ending. There were sounds of items falling and crashing to the floor... Was it an earthquake?

More violent tremors... Mikey was sure the sewers were going to fall down on top of him. He could hear the creaking and sliding of the furniture moving around the room by itself! But he didn't break his concentration. "Get out of my house!" he commanded. At the same time a hiss caused his heart skipped a beat. The creature had come to attack him again, but this time Mikey had known, as the air around him changed just before it struck. He did the mental equivalent of a peeved off back-fist, that hit the thing in the face without him raising a hand.

Mikey wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere amidst the shaking room, Splinter's cries, and what felt like ice forming around him, Mikey found himself standing up. His limbs automatically lashed out in defensive movements, blocking the creatures strikes while still being aware that he hadn't actually physically moved from his spot.

In the physical world Mikey was the fastest of his clan, imagine how fast he was on the spiritual plain! But it was a strange feeling. The pressure was there, but every nerve in his body was going numb.

Suddenly, a burning sensation lashed across his chest... his real chest. And just like that his battle on the higher plane was cut off, and Mikey knew he was laying out on his shell, gasping as his flesh sent flashes of dangerously hot pain through his body. Soon he felt warm blood trickle down his front. Just… Awesome.

The worse thing was that Mikey knew it had been aiming for his throat. Had he ducked a split second before...

For a moment the mutant was paralyzed as he struggled to breathe. Mikey couldn't run, but he knew this was the moment where he could stop and be overpowered or he could push past the pain. Somewhere deep down he knew he was facing this on his own... Was he absolutely, bone chillingly terrified?

Yes!

But his father's voice called to him. The turtle pulled his legs back over his head while placing his hands on the floor behind him. Using his weight as leverage he rocked off his shell in one fast and swift movement. Mikey flipped himself up, back into a standing position. The speed of the moment was like a tennis ball being bounced hard off a wall, instantly jettisoning back like it had an engine. This was Mikey's famous signature move.

"I said, GET OUT!" he yelled, both in the real world and in the higher one. "With the strength of my father and brothers I command you back to where you came from!" The young teen mentally threw himself forward, striking the demon creature with such force that the impact was painful as it collided with him. It screeched as it was thrown back into the darkness, and Mikey knew he had won the battle.

"Go back to Hell!" The turtle surprised himself in yelling, as he had never known himself to have such venom laced his tone before. What followed next could only be described as a giant suction cleaner sweeping through the room. It didn't seem to affect the furniture, but Mikey was forced onto all fours to fight against getting caught up in the suction. The air rushed past his ears for what was probably nothing more than a second as he desperately tried not to get blown away too, but strangely the weather was slowing. And as the spontaneous wind storm started to die away so did the sound of the creature screaming. Soon all of it faded into the darkness and the world was still once more.

Mikey didn't dare open his eyes right away. It was the feeling of heated dread that held him firmly in one position, despite every muscle still violently shaking. He was completely drained, and it was taking all he had not to let himself vomit. He was really feeling the cuts on his chest now. The claws may have missed his throat, but sadly they had also missed his built in armour plates. He needed something to stem the bleeding around his collar bone.

Then behind his tightly shut eyes Mikey soon became aware that a light was growing brighter in the room. It took a lot of convincing to make him uncurl enough to look up from the spot on the floor to see... _his father._

Splinter, the rat master, his dad! Was still standing just beyond the couch, no longer in pain, no longer restrained. Instead the passed rat had a proud smile on his face as he was bathed in a white light. The father looked upon his youngest... Still in rat form.

"My son."

"Father?!"

…...

 **Ok that was a bit crazy, but I hope you enjoyed that and if you think you understand my twisted mind, please review... The plot isn't over yet.**


	4. Warnings 4

**Ok so here is the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **'Guest' reviewer.** **Sorry its confusing. This plot was made for everyone who watched the last episode,** ** _Mutant Apocalypse_** **... If you haven't seen that then there is some big spoilers in here. Please don't be afraid to sign your name. I don't get defensive. Hopefully this chapter wraps things up.**

 **Thank you all of you for reading this. It meant so much to me. I don't often post things myself. Love you all.** ** _Please please please please review this last chapter._** **I really do want to know what you think, even if it is sad or bad or crazy.**

 **And thank you sooooo much to my beta. You are the best. x**

Chapter 4

A sudden crash echoed from the lab. Raph didn't admit it, but he was scared. Not just of the monster breaking down the door, but of losing his brothers, starting with the one right beside him. Blood... there was so much blood on his hands from carrying Don. It was getting on the steering wheel, running down his front. He tried, but he couldn't ignore the fact that the seat next to him was already soaking red as the upholstery absorbed Donnie's blood. It made the red clad turtle's vocal chords well and truly seize up. Raph started tearing up. It became hard to see the wires. He couldn't get the car started again... A particularly loud cough caused him to pause his efforts. Why was it so hard to breathe in here?

"Raph... listen... to me... I'm going to die and he is going to kill you..." Fear and pain wasn't lacing Don's voice as much as a certain tone of low urgency. "We are all going to die soon either way..." his brother continued, but it was clear he was struggling to speak now. "I don't want you to suffer... I know you don't want to be alone. Come with me! Come with me now so it won't hurt."

Raph stopped what he was doing and looked up in silent astonishment at his dying brother's statement. "What the hell are you asking me to do, Donnie?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm saying... I want us all... to be together... with Father... Leo and Mikey one day soon... Just let it end now, before _he_ gets... us! Stop fighting and...just breathe... and it will all be over... It's not so bad Raphie, trust me... It's just like going to... sleep."

"W-what?" Raph was sure he was mishearing his brother. But his opportunity to ask more questions was cut off by another personal coughing fit.

"The gas fumes have started... getting into the... van... You're dying, Raph," Donnie spluttered more blood. "It's better if you don't fight... It's better than letting the monster get... you!" He reached out placing a bloody, but comforting, hand on his red clad brother's shoulder. "Raphie, trust me, you won't want to live in the world that's coming..."

A metallic clash from another side of the room told the brothers that the monster had found its way to the large metal garage door, it was closer. Raph blinked, frozen to his seat while his brain tried it's best to catch up with the reality of the situation. Of this strange, strange situation. This sudden reality being not what he thinks, except that he is thinking it. Something impossible was dawning on him, but that didn't change his choice. His choice remained. That was important he thinks. It remains unsaid.

Completely unaware of the monster breaking down the door Raph sat letting his brother's words wash over him. It calmly dawned on him that something else was going on. The idea fell over him like a deniable stream. He might as well just role with it because there was just one answer really.

He needed to stop letting his head figure this answer out and try to make the decision his gut wanted. That was just how he worked. "I'm sorry... _Donnie_.. I CAN'T do that." Raph looked at his bleeding brother, not angrily but cautiously. "I don't know what's going on here, but you're NOT Donatello! You're not my brother because he would know me well enough to get that I would never want to die lying quietly on my shell... If I'm going out, I'm going out fighting," with a satisfied cough of dignified proportions the red clad turtle grabbed his sai and made to get out of the van and face the monster. The _figure_ of Donnie spoke again as he left.

"Is that your final answer Raphael?" The injured turtle said, now sounding _not_ so injured any more.

All Raph responded with a quick over-the-shoulder "Ya!"

"Then I shall just give you your warning warrior. 'The light will come and then the darkness will devour...' Good luck."

" _The light will come and then the darkness will devour?"_ He repeated. At that Raph looked around to ask what that meant, but his NOT brother only left him with an empty seat to find. Raph blinked. "Don...?"

Well this was super creepy. But Raph didn't get a chance to wonder where the fake had gone or even what was going on. A large green mutant broke through the garage doors, and without missing a beat headed straight towards the van... but the thing never made it there. Raph didn't even get to see the creature's face. For just as the mutant thing reached the van door, it vanished .

The next thing Raph knew was the familiarity of his position. He was once again laying on the driver's seat, just as he had been before. He could still hear the echo of the beast roar in his ears. His chest compressed hard against him. His head spun as his brain tried to catch up with what had just happened. The monster was gone. The doors were still sealed closed... It took him a moment, to long, to realise that he was still coughing. The world was swimming... all he could hear was the humming of the engine. He was still being poisoned as the fumes forced their way into the car. Raph gasped pulling himself upright in the seat. He didn't even think. The engine was running. The turtle released the break and slammed the gear into reverse while heading straight for the doors that led out into the sewers.

…...

"Such a clever boy," just like that April's sad mask dropped. Not literally. It still looked like April, but her demeanour had changed to something more confident, with a much more sinister tone to it. "I really thought I had convinced you for a second there. But even in this pretty form you're not blind sighted. I'm impressed."

Ok, this definitely wasn't April O'Neil. What the turtle had taken to be his red headed friend was still sitting rather calmly in the office chair looking over the mutant with curiosity. Upon this realisation Donnie had felt the floor fall out from under him, and his mouth had gone dry. He quickly tried to predict every way this situation could go, while repressing his desire to leap across the room and strangle this imposter.

If this wasn't April, who or what had he just been making out with!?

But he didn't want to make any sudden moves, not till he knew what was going on. But that didn't mean his hand wasn't twitching, ready to grab his bo-staff. It was bad enough that someone had come into his home uninvited, but for someone to impersonate the girl he loved, cruelly giving him hope, just to take it away. Topping every sweet thing she said with words of doom... That was just too personal, but what was more disconcerting was that whoever this 'person' was, could take on familiar forms, as well as know personal things about him, things even his brothers didn't know... or the real April for that matter. That was what had given her away. April had never truly known what had happened to him when he had been atomised... _WHO was this being?_... Where there more of them? Had they taken the form of Casey or his brothers? Well regardless of who or what they were they had come in here basically telling him the end of the world was coming and he should commit suicide.

This was _not_ a friend.

Donnie mentally kicked himself. Anyone who took a fake form of a friend was obviously lying a trap, and April O'Neil was always the perfect trap for him! "Ok let's try this again who or what are you?"

"Of course I should tell you that. I mean I'm just someone who walked in here wearing your friends face telling you you're going to die. How impolite of me. I should reveal all," heavy sarcasm laced a dark chuckle. Then her demeanour changed again. "Don't you remember me Donatello? At the very least you should remember where we met.

Her smirk then turned into something Donnie could only describe as morbid curiosity. "I have to say, I have seen many pass through those gates, but _never_ do I see them come out again," She gave a slightly bitter laugh.

Donnie's color dropped from his cheeks so fast he was surprised that he hadn't toppled over. It couldn't be! No she, whatever she was... just couldn't be! Not here... _They_ couldn't come here. His breathing hitched. He couldn't even see April any more. As the realisation hit him something deep, deep inside told him this was true. The strange feeling of her that he couldn't place before now hit him at a thousand miles an hour. This was how he had felt in their presence in the beyond. "I...I don't understand? How did...? w-what do you want? I mean w-why you...? What the shell?" The poor turtle tried to put together the words, but gave up and settled for blurting what was probably the most pressing fact in his head. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"No, but its special circumstances. She bent down, pressing her palms against his work desk and leaning her weight on it. She looked right towards him. "When big changes are coming sometimes the universe will open up and reveal its plans to you. You and your brothers have earned at least a warning, maybe even a choice."

"What choice?" The turtle asked feeling himself growing cold... or was it that the room was growing cold?

"To come back to where you were most happy and not to have to suffer through what's coming. Your brothers are being given the same choice... But not as directly. They have never been there before. They wouldn't understand. If you're smart you will all come with us now and leave this world behind."

Donnie looked, and gapped. But more importantly he swallowed and pushed his shock aside for a moment, forcing himself to understand _what_ the being was saying. The turtle drew himself up to his full height as he addressed her. "Forgive me but _'end of the world'_ situations are something I have fought against many times. Whatever is coming, I believe it is something my brothers and I can face together."

She sighed as though this conversation had already become boring. "How noble, but all your victories have made you foolish. The fates have decided, and the path is set. Everything comes to an end Donatello and this will be your only warning not to walk into it -"

"No! I won't just turn my back on everyone! And I know my brothers will make the same choice," the turtle snapped defensively. Impossible as it all was Donatello knew that this was real, as was this choice. He also knew that he didn't have the strength to leave that wonderful place death had gifted him with for a second time, but as long as just one of his brothers needed him, he wouldn't leave them behind.

The false April was a little taken aback. "You're denying Heaven once again, this time to live in a real Hell, _for them!?"_ She said this as though it was the strangest thing she had ever heard.

He looked away. "We are just tiny insects to you. Easy to forget... That's why I came back. I don't expect you to understand."

"Your right I don't. But it's not about what _I_ want. I am just the messenger. Is that your final answer?"

"Yes!"

"Very well," She bowed acknowledging him before shaking herself down. The sudden movement made Donnie want to flinch, but he resisted. He couldn't explain it but even though she had stolen his friend's form, he did believe her... It didn't make him feel any better. If anything he was confused as to why he was getting such an offer. The being didn't seem to genuinely care about the fate of him and his clan... or the fate of the world for that matter. In fact her tone seemed to indicate that life really was just that small and insignificant? As though reading his mind the being said almost nonchalantly, "Everything comes to an end. Then it all begins again."

Donnie wanted to get angry. He wanted to argue that every life here _was_ important! Even with all the stupid mistakes the world kept making, they couldn't just be disregarded so easy! Even though he didn't know what was going to happen or who was responsible, this couldn't just be it!? It couldn't just be over?

Don wanted to keep talking. To formulate something akin to a _'for and against'_ argument, but a silent internal panic had crippled him.

Before he could come up with anything coherent, he found that his window for speech had suddenly closed. Her business with him was finished. "Hey don't prosecute the _messenger_ " She raised her hands in mock surrender. "That's all I am... Hope you're ready. Let's see if you can stop death a second time... The light will come and then the darkness will devour, spreading to every corner of this planet... Even your moon wont survive. She stepped back placing some more distance between them. She grew a small smile "This should be interesting." She muttered with the same amount of care and compassion as a robot.

Don blinked when the figure turned and a shadow fell over her. All the human features of April simply melted away. Donnie gasped, stumbling back at the sight of a light leaving the shredded skin. The light fractured and danced, sending rainbows spiralling around the room before shooting up into the air. Hundreds of lights faded into nothing, and left Don alone with nothing but the white noise in his head, in a much colder and darker lab.

Time seemed to forcefully slow down, and Don welcomed it, counting seconds between each life giving breath seemed appropriate. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to re-focus himself. "Probably should have asked _when_ this was going to happen. Crud!"

Now he had another 10 seconds to become older and wiser. "I _won't_ die," He repeated with absolute conviction. Panic settled in once again as he desperately searched through the being's words for anything that could be an answer or a clue!

He recalled nothing useful, and all he could feel was his heart pounding. "I won't leave them," He muttered, his eyes landed on Metalhead's remains again. "I won't -" suddenly a loud crash coming from the next room made him almost jump out of his shell. The garage! Don sprinted to the garage doors yanking them open. The smell of the car fumes almost knocked him over. Choking him, the turtle stumbled back as he watched the van reversing through the other garage doors, crashing their way through into the sewer tunnel. "What the shell?!" Donnie wasted no time running back in the other direction towards the TV room, and then his heart _did_ stop at the sight waiting for him there.

…...

After inflicting some rather painful but very satisfying punches, Shredder finally released the young turtle, letting him fall unceremoniously to the cold floor. He stood over him then, indulging in what he knew to be their last ever meeting. Shredder was returning to an eternity in Hell, he might as well take what little drops of joy he could. "You never were a fan of easy death... I don't blame you for that. I myself have so many regrets, and yet I am not sorry for any of them. At least it's gratifying to know that you too will suffer almost as much as me, even if it isn't the way I wanted."

The teen looked up from the bloody pool he was making on the floor. Shredder had said this so calmly that Leo had to replay his words before they attached themselves to his brain. A sick feeling swirled in his stomach. "I don't understand..." He spat blood from his mouth watching the figure he hated so much calmly step away from him and back towards the shadows that were cast from the tree.

Shredder shook his head. "The whole good vs. evil balance, it doesn't matter any more. I am over it and finished with the mortal coil, but you my dear boy are just starting. Trust me when I say your little life here is going for a BIG finish... The light will come and then the darkness will devour you all... From then it is true horror and blood and pain. Have fun..." He patronisingly winked at the mutant before he looked around him as though looking for something.

Leo eyes narrowed before he followed his gaze. The teen's eyes then widened in horror as the shadows cast around the corpse started to... _move._ Then they rose from the floor with a will of their own, drowning the man in darkness. Leo gasped jumping up and backing away from what was happening in the room. The Shredder did look to be in pain but held himself firmly as he was pulled down, dissolving into the floor... All the cold drained from the room along with him, and then there was nothing. The Shredder was gone and the warm and light to the room had returned. Sadly it did not bring much comfort to Leo. He lay pressing his shell against the wall. His heart pounding, and the sick feeling of dread lingered as Shredders words rang over and over in his head... was Shredder lying? He always lied, but what would he have to gain from it this time? But no matter how much fear the young teen was suddenly feeling, there was only one thought, one single thought that was stronger than that monsters words.

" _The light will come and then the darkness will devour you all!"_

No! Whatever was coming and whatever was going to happen to him, his brothers would survive it. He would save them, no matter what!

Not knowing what to do or say Leo sat, it was the loud screech of tires, followed by a crash coming from outside the room that yanked the teen back to the world of the living.

"What the shell?" Leo jumped up and ran for the sliding doors, not at all aware of what was waiting for him

…...

Moments earlier.

"Something is coming Michelangelo, and there is nothing I can do to stop it," Splinter gazed down upon his youngest. "I am sorry... I know you and your brothers will fight to the last, but there are some things that cannot be changed," the rat said this with such sadness in him that it scared Mikey more than anything else that had happened here tonight.

"I don't understand sensei, what are you saying?" The small turtle asked as he tried to stand.

"I am saying that _you_ must survive, because when everything is lost, it will be _you_ who will show your brothers the way."

"I still don't understand? Show them where?" Mikey tried again.

Before Mikey had time to chew over this riddle a crash coming from outside made him jump. Thinking that the dark creature had returned he went to grab his weapons, only to see that it was their van outside the lair entrance, now motionless and crashed into the side corner wall. Moments later his hot headed brother came rushing out of the van, weapons drawn and gasping as though he was currently under attack. "M -Mikey -!" He choked stumbling forward. Raph looked like he was about to collapse, but he was running towards his bloody up baby brother as though to protect him from some unseen threat when - "F- f – father?!" Raph froze mid-sprint at the sight of their rat master. It was not what he had been expecting.

"Mikey!" Both Donnie and Leo then appeared by the lab, both boys mirrored each other with looks of horror at the state of the room. The room that the orange clad turtle sat in the middle of... However upon seeing their late father standing with him, everything else that had happened today was almost forgotten. Their father had come back a few times now since his death... Strangely they never really got used to it. His reappearance only reminded them how painful it was that he was gone. But somehow this time seemed different. Whether it was a good thing or not, they really didn't know...?

The three remaining brothers dragged their confused and injured bodies towards Mikey, all of them questioning whether it was the real Splinter.

Leo was the first to reach them, he put himself between Splinter's form and Mikey, sword pointing as he shielded his baby brother from whatever this was. "What? No Leo ... It's just Master Splinter," The smallest turtle said pushing himself forward.

"How sure are we of that?" Donnie sceptical voice carried through the room. The genius was having to practically carry Raph over before his stubborn brother fell over.

"It's already been a weird enough day on that account!?" Despite the coughing Raph still managed to choke out some sarcasm.

"No.. no its him I swear," Mikey ranted. "He came to warn us."

The blue clad turtle however hadn't broken eye contact with the old rat. A closer look and Leo knew it was him. "Father?" Splinter's eyes were so sad. Was he crying? That alone seemed to confirm Leo's fears. "Is it true? Warning... It was just a warning wasn't it, so we can stop it... like we always do, right?" The tone of Leo's voice was enough to convince the others. The brothers gravitated towards him.

"This is bigger than all of us my sons. I cannot promise that victory will come. That is up to you," He sighed. "Things are more clear where I am, and I do wish I could take you all back with me and keep you safe. But that is not your destiny... I taught you all the best I could... But more than I could ever help individually, the four of you are stronger _together._ "

"Father?" Donnie piped up. His voice almost a sob. "The world... are we going to be ok?" But the silence that followed was not reassuring.

"The light will come and then the darkness will devour..?" Leo repeated Shredders words, but unlike before the phrase brought him terror.

Splinter looked solemn. "You don't want to know what path is before you all," the old rat eventually said. _Oh god!_ Even though they had all heard this tonight, hearing it from Splinter made four young hearts drop and their guts freeze. Suddenly Splinter looked back over his shoulder looking at something only he could see. "I don't have long left... I was not appointed to be your messenger... But I _couldn't_ leave you all alone in this," He glanced again at Mikey who was not able to hide his tears. "Some paths you will have to walk alone. Much will be hard. Much harder than before, but I know you are strong and as long as you find each other again... You must try..." He trailed off not able to repress his own tears. "I will be with all of you every step of the way. Be brave my sons."

"We will," they all bowed.

"We... we miss you..." Raph quickly spat out the words while he still had a chance.

"As I you... By the way, I praise the Shrine the three of you made for me," he smiled at them. "But might I request that you add _our_ family photo as we are now? ... I would be ever so thankful." For a moment he glanced at Donatello with a smiled to which he returned. "Goodbye... for now." And at that the rat master faded, vanishing into the dark night air.

Tears ran down Mikey's cheeks soaking his mask. "No don't go! Father please don't go!" Mikey yelled until Leo had to hold him back... Soon the light faded, and any remains of their father was once again lost to the other world, leaving the turtle boys even more scared and alone than they had ever felt before in their lives.

….

In the days that followed, after cleaning up the mess and tending to the injuries each had accumulated, the four brothers remained together. Whether training in the Dojo, or camping out in sleeping bags in the TV room like they used to when they were small, they did it together. Strangely none of them felt safe enough to be alone... and every moment together was precious now. At one point Donnie vanished for a few hours to the Mutanimal's lair, but he soon returned with a grim expression. He wouldn't say what he had being doing. Only that it was important.

Each relayed their chilling encounters, but only enough to know they had all gotten the same warning. The finer details remained with each of them alone.

 _The light will come and then the darkness will devour!_

Soon the brothers pushed that depressing prediction aside in favor of reliving happier memories, such as when they were kids and growing up training with their father, and all the adventures they had been on. Considering their age they had gone on rather a lot...

Such innocent adventures in the sewers turned so dangerous so quickly after they left their under city home. The first night they had gone to the surface and found pizza. Yet that same night they had seen April and her father being kidnapped by the Kraange, and so their adventure had started. That all seemed like a million years ago now, so much had happened, and eventually they just couldn't see _'it'_ any more. The adventure was gone, and everything they had done and who they had met had just become … _stuff._ Donnie's theory was that was what happened when you made the universe your backyard, you end up with just that... a backyard, full of stuff! But now the warning seemed to have put everything into a new prospective. The saying is true. You never appreciate something until it's gone.

By the third night Donatello couldn't dance around the subject any more. If this was it, then he would confess to the one thing he was afraid to tell them. The turtle sat down finally retelling his brothers the story of when he had gone to _'Heaven.'_

His confession had not been taken as he had expected. Mikey cried in such a way that made Donnie sorry that he had confessed, at least at first. Raph didn't say much, but his expression and wide eyes said a lot more. Leo remained quiet until the end. "Why didn't you tell us?" He asked not really wanting to know the answer.

"Because I didn't want to come back," Donnie said this so simply that it even surprised himself. He had been so afraid to tell them the truth. After they had seen the resurrection of their father's spirit the secret of there being an after-life was no longer a secret, but Donnie had still remained fearful.

"Then _why_ did you?" Raph asked still having trouble looking at his smart brother. The image of him dying in their van still fresh but sealed in his mind... And to hear his brother actually say that he didn't want to be here was not easy to hear. But the red clad turtle would hold his tongue until his brother answered his question.

"Because I didn't want to leave you... At first I felt guilty because besides you, I couldn't see a point to life anymore," the genius smiled sadly. "It just kind of messed me up for a while. I questioned everything. But then at the end, when everything else was gone, it was only us left and I wasn't sorry I came back. I can't explain it, but it was like a warning. And I am glad I did... It wasn't my time. Still isn't. But I know I am happy I'm here, with all of you, even more than being there."

Not able to take it Mikey sat up in his sleeping bag wrapping his arms around the taller turtle's neck. "Well _I_ am glad you came back. Let's face it, we are lost without you," The orange turtle laughed.

"Donnie," Leo said his brother's name in such a way that made the smart turtle worry that he had hurt him. "What was it like?" Leo asked quietly.

Donnie was silent a moment as he contemplated this one thing he had tried so hard to forget. Though he had gained so much by returning, it was still painful remembering what he had lost. "It was paradise." Of all the long complicated words Donnie had stored away in his endless vocabulary, this was the only word he had that could sum it up.

"And you gave that up... for us?" Leo said as though he slightly couldn't understand it himself. Placing his hand behind Donnie's head, he pulled him towards his chest. Donnie enjoyed the embrace... and for some reason he didn't want Leo to let him go. Everything was just slowly disappearing, even now.

"Yeah I guess you're ok to have around," Raph joined in by snatching Don away from Leo and getting his nerdy brother into a head lock.

"Ow! Raph let go," Donnie groaned.

"Not until you promise to not keep anything from us ever, and I mean never ever again. You got it nerd!" the red clad turtle held him tighter as both Leo and Mikey decided to join in.

"I promise, I promise -!" Donnie struggled under the mass of them, but their laughing was abruptly cut off by the sound of Donnie's shell-cell suddenly urgently ringing out. It was just the phone, and yet the four froze solid. Their face dropped as the small piece of plastic vibrated to life.

The picture revealed that it was April calling. The real April... She could just be calling up to see how they were doing? But somehow the mutants knew with every fibre of their being that this was it. Mikey's eyes went as big as saucers as he tried not to go into panic mode... Raph just sat up. He didn't even look at them. He knew what they were all accepting by taking that call.. Both Leo and Donnie exchanged a look as it urgently continued to ring. They both knew it was time.

They could just not answer... They could all just stay safe down here, couldn't they? ... Hiding safe in there shells... Hadn't they earned that choice by now? After all they had done for the world, hadn't they earned the right to survive? They could all see it in each other's faces. They didn't want to take the risk of losing each other. They didn't want to die. They were only 16 for heaven sake!

But more than that, as a team they could do so much more for the world. They were heroes. If everything was going to change for the worse, they could make the difference together... The more they saved the world, the more it needed saving. Raph quickly got up and started pacing. Why did they always have to be the good guys? Just once could they just do what was right for them? Just once?!

No... Because this was who they were, they were heroes, and they always would be.

It _wasn't_ fair!

"Answer your phone Don," Leo finally said. The room stopped as Don did what he was told.

"DONNIE!" April's panicked voice screamed down the phone.

"April what's wrong?" The smart turtle broke away from the pile up. Suddenly he had a lump in his throat.

"Something's happening... I don't know what but it's the TCRI building... Casey and I are already there... I have a feeling Donnie... A really _bad_ feeling... guys you need to come right away -" April's voice was suddenly cut off by the sound of a loud wailing noise... it almost made Donnie drop the phone. He could still hear April screaming down the other end of the line, though he could no longer hear what she was saying. It sounded like a... a siren! The terrifying sound, whatever it was, it made all the turtle's blood run cold.

"We're coming. We'll be right there," Donnie shouted into the phone before hanging up. A hard thick silence followed for a full moment before the hot head broke it.

"We doing this then?" Raph turned with his weapons already drawn.

"Yes we are," The blue clad turtle answered him.

"Then let's go!" Mikey joined them.

"And finish it," Donnie smiled, finally standing.

Times change... and so must they... The four ninja's left the lair ready to take on whatever was coming, but they would do it together.

 **The End...?**

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